San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Project called wrong for Alamo Heights
Many of the old homes that line the quaint block on Katherine Court are a reminder of the 100-year-old history of Alamo Heights. But signs on the lawns of the Country Club subdivision at the southern edge of the city testify to the impact of the area’s residential growth.
The yard signs announce that the north side of the street could become home to a three-story apartment complex stretching across nearly half the block. And that has riled up some of the clergy, doctors, retired military and professors who have lived in the neighborhood for years.
“While it is apparent that improvement is needed on the subject properties, this is the wrong way to go about it,” Dr. Joan Cunningham, an epidemiologist who lives nearby, told the city in a recent letter. “It destroys the small town nature of our street.”
The majority of the nearly 30 homes on Katherine Court were built in the 1930s. A few houses have been torn down and replaced by town houses whose façades blend in with the character of the neighborhood.
But the proposal by San Antonio firm Ridgemont Properties for the project just blocks from the University of Incarnate Word campus would permanently alter that, residents said.
In addition to multifamily projects, family-owned Ridgement’s portfolio includes office and retail development. The company says its focus is infill projects across San Antonio.
City approvals
The project grinding through City Hall calls for four apartment buildings on the north side of
Katherine Court. The effort would yield 67 households and account for half the units on the block. The units would range from studios to two bedrooms.
Because of its proximity to the university, residents fear the apartments would attract students from the nearby campus. Neighbors envision rambunctious parties, clogged streets and excessive trash.
C. Trebes Sasser Jr., the vice president of Ridgemont Properties, did not respond to a phone call requesting comment. Neither did Mayor Bobby Rosenthal.
Rosenthal previously said at public meetings that neighbors and Sasser will attempt to find a middle ground. He also said the city would look into ways to regulate street parking and common areas, such as the project’s party deck.
While years the project is years from completion, officials
on Sept. 13 made two key decisions about it. Elected officials approved new zoning rules and a request by the developer to combine the four lots owned by Ridgemont Properties into one
parcel.
In their approval, city officials blamed recent actions by the Legislature that stripped away development oversight from local governments as long as the project meets the technical requirements for utilities and accessibility.
Later this month, the city’s architecture board will consider demolition of the four existing multifamily buildings to clear the way for the future apartment complex at 111, 119, 131 and 135 Katherine Court.
‘First domino to fall’
In email correspondence and at the City Council meeting earlier this month, elected officials heard from scores of residents who said the proposal would be the “first domino to fall” and would set a precedent for similarly sized projects in the city.
Sister Jane Farek lives next door to Ridgemont Properties’ redevelopment site and is worried about the project’s incompatibility with its surroundings. At three stories, the apartment complex would engulf her onestory 100-year-old home.
“The three story complex next to us would be like night and day in appearance and certainly not fitted for the neighborhood,” Farek said during the City Council meeting.
She said she’s also worried about noise and how the apartment complex’s proposed dog park would affect her four cats.
Jennifer Rude, who lives nearby, said in a letter to the City Council that approving a project immediately next to the home of several nuns at the Incarnate Word would be “abominable.”
“To approve this project ‘as is’ is just outlandish in my opinion,” Rude said. “Current city ordinances completely disregard the preservation of this community and our families and children living here.”